Keris Jawa?

rasdan · 3rd January 2023, 10:11 AM

From what I see, I think 19th century keris from Jogja probably does not adhere to the tangguh specification/standard from Solo. It is known that Jogja follows the Mataram pattern, but in some sense I think they are probably not as strict in following the Mataram pattern in terms of consistencies.

And then we have kerises that were made outside of Kraton. Those kerises can also be seen as nice kerisses, but they very frequently will have mixed indicators; again when looked from Solo point of view.

This does not only apply to Jogja keris. It applies to all "newer" keris outside of the Solo tangguh and quality system; Palembang etc. they can be nice kerises, but the indicators will be mixed.

So we have a bulk of nice 19th century kerises that appears to be Javanese, but of unknown origin and we frequently have to determine the origin using the dress. If we take any of the blades and put it in a different dress, chances of tracking is quite slim. Of course some keris we can still see indicators of origin, but but for many, there is a very slim chance of knowing for sure.

As a collector, the important part in my opinion is knowing how to assess quality. Something can be from anywhere, but if the quality is OK then it is OK.

From what I understand, the Solo specifications are very strict and the kerises are of a very high standard. It is no joke. If you apply quality standards from Solo (that I myself do not understand) I think it will be very difficult to find a matching keris. Even to get a chance to purchase a good quality Solo keris is already an honour.

So when I see a nice keris, I will try to place it in a classification. If it does not fit, it is OK; and if I can afford it, I'll buy it. Origin is not really important for me, as long as it has the age and respective quality that set as minimum and I can afford it.

3rd January 2023, 10:11 AM	#31
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 369	From what I see, I think 19th century keris from Jogja probably does not adhere to the tangguh specification/standard from Solo. It is known that Jogja follows the Mataram pattern, but in some sense I think they are probably not as strict in following the Mataram pattern in terms of consistencies. And then we have kerises that were made outside of Kraton. Those kerises can also be seen as nice kerisses, but they very frequently will have mixed indicators; again when looked from Solo point of view. This does not only apply to Jogja keris. It applies to all "newer" keris outside of the Solo tangguh and quality system; Palembang etc. they can be nice kerises, but the indicators will be mixed. So we have a bulk of nice 19th century kerises that appears to be Javanese, but of unknown origin and we frequently have to determine the origin using the dress. If we take any of the blades and put it in a different dress, chances of tracking is quite slim. Of course some keris we can still see indicators of origin, but but for many, there is a very slim chance of knowing for sure. As a collector, the important part in my opinion is knowing how to assess quality. Something can be from anywhere, but if the quality is OK then it is OK. From what I understand, the Solo specifications are very strict and the kerises are of a very high standard. It is no joke. If you apply quality standards from Solo (that I myself do not understand) I think it will be very difficult to find a matching keris. Even to get a chance to purchase a good quality Solo keris is already an honour. So when I see a nice keris, I will try to place it in a classification. If it does not fit, it is OK; and if I can afford it, I'll buy it. Origin is not really important for me, as long as it has the age and respective quality that set as minimum and I can afford it.